Draco's Hope
by Phoebe F
Summary: Draco wants nothing to do with his father and Voldemort, though nobody knows that. He tries to befriend Harry, but fails because he hasn't had much practice at friendly conversation. So when he gets into Slytherin, he asks Dumbledore to change his house to Gryffindor, and he agrees. However, that makes both Slytherins and Gryffindors turn against him, but Hermione becomes a friend.
1. Chapter 1

**This is chapter 1 out of 2. Let me know what you think in the comments.**

Draco was misunderstood. He hated his father, Lucius Malfoy, and what he stood for, but of course nobody knew. If they did, he would be shunned by his whole family. Draco grew up knowing that someday, when he went to Hogwarts, he would be expected by his father to hate muggleborns, but he just couldn't. Underneath the mask that Draco put on, he was a kind and caring boy. So when he got his letter to Hogwarts, he felt a sense of growing dread. At last, the time came. Draco entered Diagon Alley, and was greeted with stares and whispers. He was finally able to escape from his dad and mum to go and buy school robes. Once in Madam Malkin's shop, he was able to collect his thoughts. However, someone entered the shop, and when Draco saw who it was, he didn't know whether to be horrified or relieved. He chose to be relieved. The person who had just walked in was Harry Potter. Even though this boy's parents were killed by Voldemort, who was strongly supported by his father, Draco believed that he could befriend Harry and try to make up for what his parent had done. But he, growing up in a family that believed they were better than all others, wasn't that good at making friendly conversations. In fact, looking back on it, he must have said all the wrong things, for Harry seemed quite annoyed the next time they met.

At last he was on the train to Hogwarts. Draco met Crabbe and Goyle, whose fathers were also Death Eaters, so of course he had to befriend them. When the train left Platform 9 ¾, he attempted to shake off his "friends," but of course they were too stupid to take a hint. So Draco had to go attempt to make Harry Potter like him with the wrong company. When he at last found the compartment that housed The Boy Who Lived, he was with Ronald Weasley. Great, just great. Harry was friends with Arthur Weasley's son, who his father loathed. Not only that, but there was no way he could be friendly to the boy that Voldemort hated in the presence of two people who were related to Death Eaters. So this time, Draco had to be extremely rude to Potter and his pals, which was not helping his case. He felt like scum. That is, until he was visited by Hermione. Since she was such a bookworm, she had read everything about the wizarding world, and knew all about Draco's family. However, she knew that there were two sides to every story. He was hesitant at first, but she listened while he spent 30 minutes explaining. Hermione promised she would try to get Harry to listen to him. After she left, Draco had a lot to think about. He liked her, but he knew that she was a muggleborn, and he had to keep at the pretense that he hated people like her, at least to Crabbe, Goyle, and the other future Slytherins.


	2. Chapter 2

The train finally arrived at Hogwarts. When Draco caught his first glimpse of the magnificent castle, he was awestruck. It seemed like it was straight out of a movie. After the boat ride across the lake, he stood in the great hall. Once again, he had a chance to befriend Harry Potter. However, when he spoke to him for the third time, Harry Potter rejected him and his offer of friendship. However, it may have been because Draco had insulted Ron, but it's not like he had a choice. After all, everybody was watching, and he knew that his father would be furious if he was too friendly. Professor McGonagall then appeared, and he knew that he would be placed in Slytherin. He could only hope that Hermione wouldn't reject him and that it would take away his last chance to prove to Harry Potter that his family wasn't all bad and that he was sorry for what his father had done and who he had supported. Draco was right; he was placed in Slytherin. However, Hermione didn't reject him, which was great, because he had a plan. As soon as the feast was over, he raced to Professor Dumbledore's office. Draco explained everything, and had decided to make the request that would change his life forever: He asked to be put into Gryffindor. Draco knew that his father would hate him for this and that there would be a lot to explain, but he was convinced that he owed Harry for what his family had done, even though the consequences would be severe.

That night, Draco slept in Gryffindor tower. Dumbledore explained to both the Slytherins and Gryffindors that the Sorting Hat had placed him in the wrong house and wanted to fix it before it was too late. However, that caused both Slytherins and Gryffindors to hate him. The Gryffindors called him a coward and the Slytherins, including Crabbe and Goyle, rejected him for leaving their house. However, Hermione saw reason. She sat next to Draco during lunch the next day, and listened to him explain the whole thing. They became best friends; Hermione helping Draco with homework, and Draco telling her everything she needed to know about the wizarding world. He gave up on making it up to Harry; the boy he had meant to be kind to hated him, even though it was all a misunderstanding. After a while, he didn't care, because he had only had each other, for the Gryffindors also shunned Hermione when they realized that she had befriended Draco. Eventually, they liked each other as more than friends, and began dating. Draco knew that his father would hate him for being a muggleborn, but he didn't care. In his fifth year, the fact was simple: he loved Hermione with all of heart. After they graduated from Hogwarts, Hermione became an author of spellbooks, and Draco worked at the Ministry of Magic. They got married, and had a beautiful little girl named Violet.


End file.
